Matt Hancock outlines new prevention-focused NHS long-term plan
7 January 2019 (updated on 7 January 2019)
Health Secretary Matt Hancock outlined the NHS's new ten-year plan in the House of Commons on Monday 7 January 2019.
This new long-term plan has a focus on prevention and early detection, with more funding focused on GPs, community care and mental health. Mental health is due to see a funding increase of £2.3 billion, with GPs and community care getting an extra £4.5 billion.
The Health Secretary made the following remarks:
"All in all, the NHS long-term plan has been drawn up by the NHS—by more than 2,500 doctors, clinicians, staff and patients. It will continue to be shaped and refined by staff and patients as it is implemented, with events and activities across the country to help people to understand what it means for them and their local NHS services. The experts who wrote the plan say that it will lead to the prevention of 150,000 heart attacks, strokes and dementia cases, and to 55,000 more people surviving cancer each year—in all, half a million lives saved over the next 10 years. It is funded by taxpayers, designed by doctors and delivered by this Government.
This is an important moment in the history of the NHS. Our long-term plan will ensure that the NHS continues to be there, free at the point of use, based on clinical need, not ability to pay, but better resourced with more staff, newer technology and new priorities. It will be fit for the future, so that it is always there for us in our hour of need."
The Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, responded on behalf of the Opposition and commented on how "There are certainly many welcome ambitions from NHS England today, but the reality is that those ambitions will be hindered by a Government who have no plan to recruit the staff we need, who have no plan for social care and who are pushing forward with deep cuts to public health services. Patients have been let down as the Government have run down the NHS for nearly nine years. We do not need 10 more years of the Tories. The NHS needs a Labour Government.".
- Watch Parliament TV: Statement on NHS long-term plan
- Read Commons Hansard: Statement on NHS long-term plan
- About the NHS Long Term Plan [external link]
Image: iStock
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